Chapter 122 Ambition: When the time comes, my wife will protect me, even if it’s just for reputation…
Seeing her mother-in-law's determination, Bian dared not remonstrate. Her mother-in-law was right. Yan was difficult to control. If she didn't rely on her family's Ningshou Marquisate, no matter how prestigious and prestigious it was, it wouldn't help the Marquisate at all. Furthermore, if Yan continued to enjoy the Crown Prince's favor, and if she gave birth to an heir, her position would be consolidated, the eldest branch of the family would become even more arrogant. Although her eldest sister-in-law, Qi, and Yan were not on good terms, she was still Yan's biological mother, and this blood relationship would at least instill a certain degree of fear in others. She didn't want to allow her eldest sister-in-law, whom she had always despised, to gain face in front of the old lady.
Now that her sister-in-law is like this, she feels happy.
Thinking of this, Bian didn't say anything else and tacitly agreed to the old lady's arrangement.
This side
Madam Wu and Mrs. Zhan emerged from the Xilan Courtyard and, seeing no one around, immediately darkened their expressions. They angrily exclaimed, "What a snob! You still think these high-ranking families are the most polite. But look, my mother-in-law just gave me the slightest bit of respect. To anyone who didn't know, you'd think we were just poor relatives begging for money, inferior to her, letting her humiliate and mock us."
"Our aunt married into their mansion. She was carried into the house in a sedan chair and gave birth to Bo'er. She worked hard to manage the household for so many years, and this little bit of respect is not enough for her?"
"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have gotten married in the first place. It would have been better than coming here today and being humiliated. It's bringing disgrace to our Qi family."
When Zhan heard what the old lady said, she naturally knew that although she was angry, if she could go back to the past, even if she knew that the situation would be like today, she would choose to marry her aunt into the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion and make her the marquis's wife.
"Calm down. This is the way most of the noble families in the capital are. We don't interact often, so if you don't want to be offended, just come less often. As long as the Marquis's Mansion still has some dignity, the family property will belong to Bo'er in the future, and my position as the Marquis's wife will be secure and no one will dare to plot against her. We, the Qi family, will have no say in this."
"After all, there's no comparison between our two families, so I have to admit that I'm a little frustrated."
Old Lady Wu knew all this, and it was precisely because she knew that she felt so uncomfortable. She was also annoyed that her daughter, after all these years as a marquis' wife, hadn't yet won the favor of Old Lady Zhai, her mother-in-law, nor had she given birth to a healthy son for the Cui family. All she had in these years were Bo Ge'er and Yan Yatou, and she hadn't even managed to win over her son-in-law and coax him into her room. Instead, she had let a lowly Concubine Liu win his favor and even have a child in her belly. If she had conceived a son after ten months of pregnancy, given her son-in-law's fondness for Concubine Liu, Bo Ge'er's status might have been shaken.
After all, there are countless people in the world who love their youngest son, not to mention that Brother Bo is not in good health. Not to mention the son-in-law, maybe even the grandmother, Madam Zhai, will favor a bastard.
I just hope that Aunt Liu is not so lucky and gives birth to a daughter, or something goes wrong during the delivery process. It would be best if there is two lives in one, so that the daughter will have no worries at all.
Thinking of this, Old Lady Wu didn't say much. She just held Zhan's arm and walked towards Cuiwei Courtyard.
Cuiwei Courtyard
Qi had just heard that her mother, Old Madam Wu, and her sister-in-law, Madam Zhan, were coming to visit her, so she went to see her mother-in-law, Old Madam Zhai, and was now coming to her courtyard.
There was a hint of surprise in her eyes. She was slapped by the Marquis yesterday, and then Concubine Liu was taken to live in Xilan Courtyard. She was embarrassed and afraid of being ridiculed, so she claimed to be sick and did not go out. She was angry and felt unwell. Now that her family members came to visit, she was embarrassed and too tired to deal with them.
She subconsciously looked at Nanny Jiang who was standing beside her, with a hint of displeasure in her eyes.
Nanny Jiang's heart skipped a beat. She quickly knelt down and said with a choked voice, "Even if Madam wants to punish me, I will accept it. How could Madam not tell her family when she has suffered such a great injustice? At least a visit from the old lady will make the Marquis and his family a little wary, and the people in Xilan Court will also persuade the Marquis. Besides, if Madam doesn't tell her family when she has suffered injustice, what if the old lady and the aunt find out about this from somewhere else? They will definitely think that Madam, a lady who has been married for many years, has become estranged from her family. What should we do if such a misunderstanding arises?"
"This servant's heart and eyes are all for the good of Madam!"
After Nanny Jiang said this, her face showed an expression of worrying about her master Qi.
Qi's expression softened a bit, and she said calmly, "Get up. Even if you're doing this for my own good, you should still let me know before you do anything."
Nanny Jiang nodded repeatedly, "I understand. However, since Madam was resting in the inner room yesterday, I really didn't want to disturb her peace and quiet, so I took the liberty of sending someone to the Qi residence to tell the old lady and my uncle's wife what happened in the mansion."
After she said this, it was even harder for Qi to pursue the matter, so the matter was left unsolved.
Qi asked someone to prepare tea and snacks, then she washed up and changed into brighter clothes. She looked much better.
Just as she finished packing, a maid came back from outside and reported: "Madam, the old lady and the uncle's wife are here."
Qi stood up from the couch and walked out the door. When she saw Old Madam Wu, she didn't even have time to bow before she was helped up. She said with a look of distress, "Don't be so rigid about etiquette. You've suffered such a great injustice. If Madam Jiang hadn't sent someone to tell me, I wouldn't have known anything."
"Hurry up and tell mother what's going on. The Cui family is a noble family that has a long tradition of poetry and etiquette. How could they bully the eldest daughter-in-law of the eldest son just for a concubine? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at if the news gets out?"
Qi helped Old Madam Wu into the house, waved her hand to signal Nanny Jiang and the others to leave, and then told them about how she and the Marquis had quarreled and even fought over Concubine Liu.
Madam Wu grew increasingly irritated as she listened. She angrily said, "As the principal wife, why shouldn't you punish a disrespectful concubine? Don't even mention that you didn't know she was pregnant. Even if you did, does that mean she's a big shot, unable to kneel for even a moment? Don't you think about where she came from? Has she forgotten her roots after being a concubine for a few years? I think she's deliberately using the unborn child to plot against you, the mistress, to make her husband resent you. How could you keep such a restless and disrespectful concubine until now? If you had found a way to get rid of her sooner, you wouldn't be in this situation today."
Qi had these thoughts too, but she was having a hard time in the mansion, and the Marquis was so protective of Concubine Liu, so even if she had the heart, she didn't have the courage.
Ultimately, she didn't dare to offend the Marquis and make him dislike her. She was also afraid that the reputation she had cultivated for so many years as a virtuous woman would be tarnished by a concubine named Liu, so she had been putting it off day after day. Now that Concubine Liu was pregnant and had moved to Xilan Courtyard, she couldn't find the opportunity even if she wanted to take action.
Thinking of Aunt Liu who was living in Xilan Courtyard to take care of her pregnancy, Qi couldn't help but think of her daughter Cui Lingyan, and her face immediately turned ugly.
"It's not that easy. Now that I'm living in Xilan Courtyard, even if I had the guts, I wouldn't be able to find a chance to do anything under my mother-in-law's nose. Yan girl is really filial. I, as a mother, have suffered such a great injustice, and she didn't comfort me or speak up for me when she came back to her parents' home. Instead, she sided with an outsider like Concubine Liu. How could I have given birth to such an ungrateful person!"
Hearing her daughter mention Cui Lingyan, Old Lady Wu now felt that she had misjudged her granddaughter Cui Lingyan. She had pretended to be well-behaved and sensible in the Qi family, and her true nature was revealed only now that she had become the Crown Prince's wife.
The mother and daughter had both misjudged the person, and now they had lost face at the hands of a younger generation and could not even control Cui Lingyan.
The mother and daughter didn't speak for a long time.
After a while, Old Lady Wu finally spoke, "The reason Yan's wings are strong now is because of Lu Bingzhi's favor and love. If she lost her current status, or if Lu Bingzhi had someone new, how could she be so arrogant and ignore you, her biological mother?"
"I heard from your sister-in-law that one of the maids she brought with her when she got married was named Qiu Zhi. She used to serve in your room. To be a maid, she must be at least above average in appearance and appearance. Try to send her a message and stir up her ambitions. If she can serve Lu Bingzhi, Yan will know that it's not so easy to stay in the Duke of Wei's mansion."
"I've seen many girls like Yan. Can't we think of a way to teach her a lesson and make her fear you, her biological mother? As a parent, loving your children is one thing, but sometimes you have to use some tricks, otherwise even your children won't take you seriously."
When Zhan heard what the old lady said, her heart skipped a beat. She opened her mouth to persuade the old lady and Qi to give up this idea and not do anything stupid that would only make Yan feel even more disappointed and destroy the last bit of affection they had for each other.
But before she could say anything, Old Madam Wu glared at her and said unhappily, "Don't interrupt me. You've watched little Yan grow up, and now she's so arrogant that she doesn't even take you, her elder, seriously. She even said that because of Cui Lingyin's matter, all the kindness our Qi family has shown her in raising her for so many years will be canceled out. And you really agreed to it? You really have no backbone at all. If I had been there at the time, I would have slapped her in the face to teach her what it means to repay a favor. Is the kindness the Qi family has shown her for so many years fake? How can it be canceled just like that? She has this idea because she deliberately wants to deny this kindness. She's just using Cui Lingyin, her cousin, as an excuse. You're a fool to not understand that you've been fooled by a junior like her!"
Zhan was so questioned by the old lady that she couldn't say a word. Her face turned red. She felt helpless and uneasy. She didn't want to stay and listen to the old lady's plans, so she found an excuse to leave the room, leaving the old lady and Qi to talk in private.
Two days later, Qiu Zhi, who served Cui Lingyan, was secretly slipped a note into her hand by a passing maid on her way back from the kitchen with food. When she had some free time at night, she secretly read the note and her expression changed several times. The initial uneasiness and anxiety were eventually overcome by ambition.
Seeing how respectable and glorious the Third Young Lady was, how could she, a maidservant who came with the dowry, not have other thoughts? Not to mention that the Young Master was so glorious and noble. If she could serve the Young Master, it would be a blessing she had prayed for in several lifetimes.
Madam said that if she succeeded, she would persuade the young lady to tolerate her and make her a concubine. After all, the prince couldn't have only the young lady by his side, there had to be a concubine, otherwise others would just say that the young lady was jealous and intolerant.
Not to mention, if the young lady is pregnant and it is inconvenient for her to serve the prince, someone must be arranged to serve him. Instead of having Old Lady Dou and Cen arrange people to come, it is better for her to know everything about the young lady. Even if she is favored, she will not dare to have any other ideas and will always be easy to control.
Therefore, she was doing this to help the young lady relieve her worries. When the time came, with the lady protecting her, the young lady would have to tolerate her even for the sake of her reputation.
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